boys' name ★ peaked 1980

Erik

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #546 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

A spelling variant of Eric, or directly borrowed from modern Swedish Erik.

Rank 2025
#546
among boys · ↓70 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
549
named Erik · -15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,111
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1980
4,959 babies
All-time total
158,126
#218 all-time among boys
First recorded
1911
in Social Security records

Erik popularity over time

158,126 babies have been named Erik since 1911, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 52 52 5 – #1,823
1920s – 141 141 14 +171% #1,643
1930s – 232 232 23 +65% #1,017
1940s – 857 857 86 +269% #537
1950s – 2,450 2,450 245 +186% #384
1960s 72 14,770 14,842 1,484 +506% #119
1970s 174 32,094 32,268 3,227 +117% #66
1980s 262 36,350 36,612 3,661 +13% #64
1990s 116 33,605 33,721 3,372 -8% #95
2000s 41 22,408 22,449 2,245 -33% #143
2010s – 10,506 10,506 1,051 -53% #256
2020s (to 2025) – 3,996 3,996 666 -37% #422

Where Erik is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 529 0.31 outside top 500
2027 512 0.30 outside top 500
2028 498 0.29 outside top 500
2029 487 0.29 outside top 500
2030 478 0.28 outside top 500

Where Erik is most popular

Boys named Erik per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.381 per 1,000. Strongest in Colorado, Oregon, and Nevada.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Erik born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Colorado 98 0.759 +99%
Oregon 51 0.672 +76%
Nevada 38 0.667 +75%
Texas 570 0.647 +70%
Washington 100 0.611 +61%
California 555 0.607 +59%
Utah 56 0.587 +54%
Arizona 88 0.538 +41%
Minnesota 56 0.456 +20%
South Carolina 47 0.455 +19%
Oklahoma 38 0.430 +13%
Alaska 5 0.420 +10%
Alabama 45 0.412 +8%
Illinois 104 0.407 +7%
Florida 180 0.380 ≈ national
New Jersey 74 0.368 ≈ national
Kansas 25 0.364 ≈ national
North Carolina 92 0.360 -5%
Tennessee 64 0.355 -7%
Maryland 42 0.352 -7%
Kentucky 35 0.349 -8%
Idaho 14 0.342 -10%
New York 148 0.342 -10%
Wisconsin 40 0.338 -11%
Virginia 64 0.337 -11%
New Mexico 11 0.334 -12%
Georgia 82 0.324 -15%
Mississippi 18 0.317 -17%
Arkansas 20 0.316 -17%
Indiana 49 0.306 -20%
Missouri 42 0.303 -20%
Michigan 60 0.293 -23%
Connecticut 19 0.281 -26%
Ohio 74 0.279 -27%
Massachusetts 38 0.276 -27%
Pennsylvania 65 0.245 -36%
Louisiana 22 0.215 -44%
Iowa 6 0.087 -77%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Erik

Erik is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #546 in 2025 with 549 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1911, 158,126 American babies have been named Erik. Its peak came in 1980, when 4,959 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Erik stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Erik?

The median living Erik is about 37 years old; half are between 26 and 48. An estimated 149 thousand people named Erik are alive in the United States today.

median 37 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Erik year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 549 #546
2024 – – 645 #476
2023 – – 679 #454
2022 – – 716 #432
2021 – – 699 #442
2020 – – 708 #422
2019 – – 815 #384
2018 – – 855 #377
2017 – – 901 #368
2016 – – 948 #355
2015 – – 1,019 #337
2014 – – 1,037 #329
2013 – – 1,105 #311
2012 – – 1,223 #289
2011 – – 1,266 #277
2010 – – 1,337 #256
2009 – – 1,555 #233
2008 7 #14,306 1,795 #213
2007 6 #16,112 2,028 #199
2006 – – 2,131 #189
2005 5 #17,301 2,228 #183
2004 8 #11,966 2,365 #172
2003 5 #16,556 2,550 #158
2002 – – 2,460 #156
2001 – – 2,574 #155
2000 10 #9,385 2,722 #143
1995 11 #7,679 3,432 #111
1990 11 #7,473 3,956 #96
1985 26 #3,348 3,372 #87
1980 41 #2,358 4,918 #64
1975 16 #3,998 2,855 #87
1970 17 #3,627 3,245 #101
1965 14 #3,455 2,117 #145
1960 – – 472 #360
1955 – – 222 #495
1950 – – 132 #592
1945 – – 96 #619
1940 – – 44 #971
1935 – – 24 #1,401
1930 – – 17 #1,847
1925 – – 11 #2,638
1920 – – 8 #3,298
1915 – – 11 #2,352
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Erik

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Erik ten Hag Erik ten Hag Dutch football manager (born 1970) Contemporary
  2. 2 Erik Estrada Erik Estrada American actor (born 1949) Contemporary
  3. 3 Erik Satie Erik Satie French composer and pianist (1866–1925) 19th century
  4. 4 Erik the Red Erik the Red Norse explorer 950–1003 · Medieval
  5. 5 Erik Erikson Erik Erikson American psychoanalyst and essayist (1902–1994) Contemporary
  6. 6 Erik Bruhn Erik Bruhn Danish ballet dancer (1928–1986) Contemporary
  7. 7 Erik Olin Wright Erik Olin Wright American sociologist (1947 – 2019) Contemporary
  8. 8 Erik Zabel Erik Zabel German cyclist b. 1970 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Erik Scavenius Erik Scavenius Prime Minister of Denmark (1877–1962) 19th century
  10. 10 Erik Heinrichs Erik Heinrichs Finnish military general 1890–1965 · 19th century
  11. 11 Erik Schinegger Erik Schinegger Austrian intersex skier (born 1948) Contemporary
  12. 12 Erik Axel Karlfeldt Erik Axel Karlfeldt Swedish poet 1864–1931 · 19th century
  13. 13 Erik Adolf von Willebrand Erik Adolf von Willebrand Finnish physician (1870–1949) 19th century
  14. 14 Erik Pontoppidan Erik Pontoppidan Danish author (1698–1764) 17th century
  15. 15 Erik Dahlbergh Erik Dahlbergh Swedish military personnel 1625–1703 · 17th century
  16. 16 Erik De Vlaeminck Erik De Vlaeminck Belgian cyclist (1945–2015) Contemporary
  17. 17 Erik Werenskiold Erik Werenskiold Norwegian artist (1855–1938) 19th century
  18. 18 Erik Gustaf Geijer Erik Gustaf Geijer Swedish writer, historian, poet, philosopher, and composer 1783–1847 · 18th century
  19. 19 Erik Nilsson Erik Nilsson Swedish footballer 1916–1995 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Erik Gustaf Boström Erik Gustaf Boström Swedish landowner and politician 1842–1907 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Erik, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Erik?

The median living Erik is about 37 years old. Half of all living Eriks are between 26 and 48 years old.

How many people named Erik are alive today?

An estimated 149 thousand people named Erik are alive in the United States, based on 158,126 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Erik mean?

A spelling variant of Eric, or directly borrowed from modern Swedish Erik.

How popular is the name Erik in 2025?

Erik ranked #546 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 549 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Erik?

158,126 babies have been named Erik in the United States since 1911, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Erik most popular?

Erik peaked in 1980, when 4,959 newborns received the name.

Is Erik a boy or girl name?

Erik is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Erik rising or falling?

Erik is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Erik become more popular?

Erik is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 478 boys named Erik in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Erik?

Well-known people named Erik include Erik ten Hag (soccer player), Erik Estrada (actor), Erik Satie (composer).

Names like Erik

Names that sound and feel close to Erik: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Erik with similar names → More names starting with E →